Will Graves kicked off team

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina has dismissed fifth-year senior Will Graves from the team.

Coach Roy Williams said Thursday that Graves didn't comply with team rules, though he says in a statement from the school that it had nothing to do with "any NCAA matters on campus."

"I hate this for Will," Williams said in the statement. "He worked extremely hard this summer to get himself physically in the best shape he's been in years, but he did not do everything he needed to do to be a part of our basketball program."

The NCAA is investigating the football program for improper benefits and possible academic misconduct involving a tutor. The school has said that tutor didn't work with any men's basketball players.

Graves was the team's third-leading scorer with about 10 points per game and was the team's top 3-point shooting threat.

Two seasons ago, Williams suspended Graves at midseason for not complying with team standards, sidelining him during the run to the 2009 national championship.

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Thursday afternoon, North Carolina coach Roy Williams announced that senior forward Will Graves was dismissed from the Tar Heels. This was a bit of a surprise, and not only because a dismissal is, at least in most cases, inherently surprising.

Graves had played in 92 games for UNC over the past three seasons. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2009-10. He was one of two Tar Heels (the other being Larry Drew II) capable of shooting the ball with any consistency from beyond, oh, 15 feet. And, in what would have been his fifth year, Graves was one of the few veterans on what will be another very young Tar Heels team.

In other words, North Carolina could have used Will Graves. So why the dismissal? His coach didn't make that clear. But Williams did want to make sure everyone got one thing straight:

"This is 100 percent not related to any NCAA matters on campus," said Williams. "I hate this for Will. He worked extremely hard this summer to get himself physically in the best shape he's been in years, but he did not do everything he needed to do to be a part of our basketball program. This is a huge blow to our team, but an even bigger blow for Will. Playing for the Tar Heels meant so much to him."


Apparently, not enough to do ... well, whatever it was Graves was supposed to do. The real reason for Graves' dismissal is probably best left to the fluorescent rumor-filled din of message boards. No point in taking a guess.

But even as they wave farewell to a solid role player, UNC fans can take solace in knowing that Graves had nothing to do with the ongoing investigation into possible academic misconduct that may or may not be sinking UNC's football program even as we speak. That much we know. So, hey, you guys! Good news!